I check my e-mail regularly, so this is an
excellent way to get in touch with me if you have a quick question, or if you
want to make an appointment for a more substantial discussion.

THE
COURSE

This
course discusses aspects of the very recent period of US history, a period that
is a little difficult to name, but “Late Modern” is a standard usage.

The
course is unusual in its chronological setting. Many college courses at various
levels discuss specific eras of US history, but for various reasons, few of
them have moved beyond an arbitrary boundary set around the early to mid-1970s.
I talk about these chronological issues in this blogpost, which provides an
extended rationale for the present course:

Whatever
the reasons, the consequence is that few courses presently address a lengthy
period of immense significance, which is marked by changes and developments
quite as momentous in any era of the nation’s history. That is true whether we
are considering matters of race and ethnicity; gender and sexuality; national
security and terrorism; the changing role of religion in public life; and
(arguably most important of all) in technology.

So tumultuous has this “late modern” period
been that it now forms the subject of a substantial and growing literature,
which lays the foundation for an emerging academic field. University
departments are becoming aware of what has hitherto been a serious gulf in
their coverage, and academic jobs are appearing at a steady rate. As the field
is still developing, one of our major tasks will be to identify its most
important critical questions and debates.

As you will see from what follows here,
this is also a course about different ways of doing history. We will explore a
variety of different studies, which are both top-down and bottom-up in their
approach. Some are more theoretical, others strictly nuts
and bolts in their approach. Some are more popular, other more academic. Some
of the authors will be reading explicitly think of themselves as historians,
others are sociologists or political scientists.

I have a particular interest in the nature
of sources, and how historians employ diverse materials to draw conclusions. Throughout,
we will pay close attention to the use of documents and other forms of
evidence. Obviously, from the nature of the era, sources come in very diverse
media and forms, and are by no means limited to hard copy books and writings.

Among
other themes, the course will explore how popular culture can be used to
illuminate themes in social and political history; and at the same time, to
understand the interrelationship between popular culture and mainstream
politics. We will use our understanding of political and social realities to
illuminate the study of culture, high and low, from film and fiction to the
visual arts.

A glance at this syllabus will indicate my
own particular areas of interest, both themes and geographical areas. I am
however very flexible towards accommodating other people's interests and areas
of expertise, and would encourage individuals to use their papers to pursue
their own particular projects. Ideally, I would like this class to provide a
foundation that you can build upon in your dissertation work.

Although this is primarily a history
course, I am open to a wide variety of other disciplines and approaches,
including literary and artistic methods and subject matters.

GOALS
OF THE COURSE

To examine how particular eras acquire the historical stereotypes they do.

To understand the making of historical
memory, as it is created and cultivated through scholarship, popular media,
journalism, and cultural work. The past is legacy; what we think about it is
history.

To show how the political assumptions and
prejudices of academic historians lead them to create and sustain myths and
stereotypes about historical eras and themes. As part of this, to see how
historians over- or under-state particular eras by the decision to study them,
or not. Arguably, historians tend to over-study eras of revolutionary or
radical change, and underplay the equally significant periods of reaction or
retrenchment.

To show even in a fairly recent historical
period, common scholarly and popular assumptions and stereotypes can be very
far from any kind of objective accuracy.

To show how easily commonly accepted
stereotypes about American history break down when set in an international or
comparative context.

To point out the flaws and limitations
involved in discussing American history in terms of presidential and national
politics, eg "the Reagan Revolution,” "the
Clinton years.” The problems of personalizing history.

To explore the role of social, cultural,
technological and demographic factors in explaining what are often seen as
purely political developments.

To stress the essential integration of
domestic and foreign policy themes that are commonly treated as wholly separate.

To explore the importance of changing
gender roles in the making of mainstream political life.

To understand the changing role of
religion in American life and politics, a story that is far more complex than
the familiar stereotype of the "Christian Right".

To explore how popular culture can be used
to illuminate themes in social and political history; and at the same time, to
understand the interrelationship between popular culture and mainstream
politics, and the complex influences that link the two - influences that run
both ways.

To use our understanding of political and
social realities to illuminate the study of culture, high and low, from film
and fiction to the visual arts.

To understand the history of
commemoration, and the interplay of history, politics and memory. In the US
context, these questions often (but not inevitably) concern matters of race.

To show how so much of what we take for
granted has not always existed, and in fact emerges out of a particular set of
debates and controversies in a specific historical setting. As examples, to
explore the origin of themes, problems and assumptions that originated in this
era, eg concepts of child abuse, the "war on
terror," and the drug war. Far from being timeless or inevitable, all
these were historically contingent and originated in a particular set of
historical circumstances.

To understand the origins of current party political structures and ideologies. We will observe
the critical transition in American politics from the historic emphasis on
class and economics to the politics of morality, identity, gender: in short,
the end of New Deal alignments. In the process, we will ask whether the old
politics were in fact as class-oriented as they are commonly represented; and
at the same time, how far class underlies modern alignments.

To challenge the popular view that
politics based on issues of morality and gender represent a diversion from
"real" politics of economics and class; to suggest that issues of
morality have their own independent validity.

To understand the origins of modern gender
attitudes and assumptions.

To understand the continuing power of
conspiracy and paranoia in American political culture.

To allow members of the seminar to explore
these themes in detail with specific reference to issues, problems or debates
relevant to their own interests.

To help members of the seminar identify
and explore understudied research topics.

REQUIRED
BOOKS

All
these are, or should be, in affordable paperback editions.

Michelle
Alexander, The New Jim Crow (New
Press, 2011)

Jefferson
Cowie, Stayin’ Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the
Working Class(New Press, 2010)

Daniel Williams,
God's
Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right(New
York: Oxford University Press, 2010)

I
could easily have used lots more collections of documents, readings, etc., but
an unimaginably vast range of texts is available for free on the Internet.
These cover every conceivable topic you might be researching. Early in the
course, please get to know your way around the resources they offer.

Just
because I require a book does not mean that I vouch for its argument, or agree
with most or all of it. (That also applies to texts that criticize me!) Part of
graduate education is learning how to address texts and sources of different
genres and approaches, including those that might be far removed from your own.
And even some that make you angry! I can’t make this point too strongly.

In
these required books, I have strived to offer a balance not just of viewpoints,
but of ways of telling a story. One might be more analytical, another more of a
survey. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach? Reading such a
diverse range of books should help you understand the many and various ways in
which a story can be told.

And
even reading a bad book can give you strong hints about how to write a good one
….

I
expect you to use these books in different ways. In some cases, you will be
reading through from start to finish. In others, I will be specifying
particular sections or areas that demand your attention. I will do this in more
detail in the web pages that I am assigning to each title. These are intended
to give you guidance about reading and contextualizing each book.

A General Note
on Reading Required Books

I
also offer the following list of questions that apply to any and all of the
prescribed books – or indeed, to some extent, to any academic book that you
might encounter:

1. First, obviously, what is
the book about, and what is its central theme or point?

2. Does the author make
his/her case well and clearly? Is the book well-written and well-argued? (the
two points are not necessarily the same!) If not, why not?

3. The fact that the book was
published indicates that somebody thought it made an important and innovative
point – there’s no point in just rehashing old familiar arguments, or so we
would think. What’s new about this book? Is it a controversial study?

4. What did the book tell us
that was not previously known? What can we learn about how the book fits into
the existing literature, yet advances beyond previous knowledge? What earlier
or established position is it arguing against?

5. Why are people studying
this kind of topic right now? What does this tell us about the state of historical
writing and scholarship?

6. Does the author push the
evidence to make it fit into contemporary concerns and obsessions? How?

7. What major questions and
issues surface that relate to the topics of the present course?

8. Is the book of any interest
or significance beyond the immediate scope of the study addressed?

9. Are there questions that
you would like to ask that the author does not deal with, or covers poorly?

10. What can we learn from the
footnotes and acknowledgments about how the author went about his/her research?

11.If you were going to
challenge the book or its arguments seriously, how might you go about it? What
other sources or perspectives might you use or explore? Why do you think the
author did not do what you are suggesting?

12.Assume you were
an academic reviewer for this book, prior to publication. Would you support
publication or not? Why? What if any changes might you suggest or demand?

SYLLABUS
OF CLASSES

1.
January 8Introduction

How
the US absorbed the experience of the 1960s. Hedonism, individualism, and
transformation in the Seventies.

Hard
copies of final paper drafts are due at my office in Pat Neff by Tuesday, May 8
at 10am. If you want to hand it in earlier than that, great.

In most cases, you cannot submit papers electronically. An
exception can be made in rare circumstances, eg if,
say, you live 40 miles out of town and driving in especially
to deliver the paper would be a major personal inconvenience. (P.S. most of you
do not live 40 miles out of town).

REQUIREMENTS
AND POLICIES

The course will take the format of a
reading and research seminar.

Each week, students will come to class
having read an assigned book or document. Each student should come to class
with open-ended questions growing out of the general theme, around which the
discussion of the readings should be organized. In each case, I will supply
beforehand a general list of questions and prompts that will guide you in
making your way through the readings.

Participants
will write a substantial research paper on a topic of their choice. Students should base their research on primary sources from the period, supported by scholarly secondary
sources, either books or journal articles. I am flexible about possible themes,
and am happy to assist you in developing a workable topic and a list of
sources. See below for more comments on this issue.

By the week of February 12, I need to know the title and topic of
the paper you will be writing. Obviously, I need to approve your choice before
you proceed with writing it.

Undergraduate
papers should be between 5,000 and 6,000 words, including footnotes. Graduate
student papers would be between 6,000 and 8,000 words, including footnotes. You
should follow Kate Turabian’sA Manual For Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations as a style guide. Grading
will of course take account of issues such as grammar and punctuation.

By the week of March 19, I will expect you to submit a preliminary
draft, which I will then discuss with you on an individual basis during office
hours. The draft by the way, is a full-length version of the paper, fully
referenced, as opposed to a two or three page “concept paper”, and it should
thus be in connected prose, not in point form. This draft will then be revised
to create a final version due for presentation in the final examination period.
That gives you plenty of time to do any necessary fine-tuning.

Grading

Paper
70%

Attendance and Participation
20%

Presentation
10%

100%

SOME CLASS
MATERIALS AND GUIDELINES

General
Comments on Writing and Publishing

Both Dr. Kidd and myself blog a great deal,
and both of us have written at some length on the way in which historians work, how they choose topics, etc. You should
check out some of our columns on this issue, as they do offer useful guidelines
that should be helpful as you think about your own work for this coming
semester. Do especially look at my piece here:

Together, these posts – and plenty by my
Baylor colleagues – summarize a great deal of the introductory material I would
otherwise be going over verbally in class, so do please take the time to look
at them.

Choosing
a Topic

One
other piece you should look at is this one, which specifically addresses what a
graduate course is and how a seminar paper fits into that structure:

So
how do you choose a topic for a paper? You can start with the general comments
above, but these are all very broad. The question then arises of how you can
say something useful and interesting within a very small space, which is what a
seminar paper actually is.

As
to a subject, my main criterion is that it should fit within the period of the
course, which is easy enough, but also speaks to the general themes and issues
that we have identified. For that, see the relevant section above, especially
that section on American Megatrends.

Within
those parameters, you might choose a particular individual, a movement, an
episode, a controversy, or a region. One approach I find valuable is that of
microhistory, where you focus on a specific conflict or incident, but not only
for the details of that one thing. You use that phenomenon as a key to unlock a
much larger picture of social attitudes and feelings, and possibly wider
debates and movements. In any of these cases, you would be trying to say
something that no scholar has said before, which might mean focusing on some
theme that has not been picked up before. That does of course getting to know
exactly what has been said on the topic.

Detailed
local and regional histories are appropriate, especially since major cities
summarize so many of the themes I have identified. New York City and San
Francisco are both massively tempting, but they have been done to death in this
era. There are so many other potential candidates.

Histories
based in culture and art are fine, provided that the discussion is tilted
towards the major themes of the course. Visual arts offer some really tempting
examples, as does music (punk, hip-hop, country, grunge…) – but do remember
that I insist on primary source materials.

A
similar point can be made about sport as a potential subject.

One
excellent area to explore for the present topic is that of social movements,
which might include pressure groups or mutual support groups. Among
the very miscellaneous causes that come to mind immediately in such movements
are anti-nuclear, civil rights, women’s rights, Latino rights, environmental,
not to mention broader political pressure groups of all sides, from Occupy to
Tea Party. Particular issues would include shale oil and fracking, saving industrial plants
and factories; 1980s battles over Central America and
refugees; debates over abortion, censorship, pornography, gender violence and
rape; gay rights and gay marriage; drunk driving; NAFTA; police behavior and
official illegality. Some of the long continuities in such movements are of
interest, as individuals and groups have morphed and developed since the 1970s.
Through such movements, we often see the shifting battlefronts of the culture
wars.

Self-help
groups are also interesting, especially in the world of “survivors” of various
kinds.

Although
this is certainly not just a course about Texas, I strongly encourage you to
check out resources available on this state, which in so many ways serves as a
microcosm in many of the debates and issues that I hope to
cover in my courses. Texas would certainly offer plenty of options in terms of
political developments, technological advances, urban history, racial
controversies and debates, immigration, and generally in social movements over
a wide range of issues.

Do note: if you never mention the word Texas in
your papers, that is also fine! And if you do nothing even tangentially
connected to social movements, that is also quite acceptable. The comments here
are just meant as helpful examples.

That
Texas comment also gets to the critical importance of using primary sources,
loosely defined. Depending on the topic, these might include popular culture
materials. Do be aware of the very rich resources to be found in visual
evidence – paintings, prints, leaflets, films…. Music can also be a rich
historical source. If you can find such materials nearby, in archives within
the state, that’s fine.

One
limitation there, though. A topic might seem wonderfully interesting, but if
you can’t find a way to study it using at least some primary sources, then you
will have a problem.

I
am always interested in issues of memory, commemoration and reputation – why
some people or movements change in historical esteem (or popular regard) over
time. Some of the fiercest cultural battles of this era were firmly rooted in
history, for instance, in the Enola Gay controversy of the early 1990s. Today
we think of memorials concerning slavery and the Confederacy, or the
celebration of Columbus Day.

This
gets to the critical issue of historiography. Suppose for instance that
historical attitudes to topic X have changed enormously over time. Why has that
happened? Is it a consequence of new evidence, of shifting ideologies, or what?
Does the history of a past era largely reflect the concerns and preoccupations
of the present in which the historian is writing? Do historians simply trend to
ignore certain evidence if it does not fit in with their preconceptions? Just
how do historians argue, how do they handle evidence, how do they come to the
conclusions they do? Throughout, the key question is, how do we know what we
think we know? In that case, you would be writing not an exhaustive history of
the particular topic, but rather tracing the major themes and issues in the
historiography.

Those are the sort of criteria I
want you to be thinking about.

One suggestion: take a moment to
look at one of the major journals, and see the sort of things that people have
been publishing on in the past few years. That gives you a asense of how wide
or narrow such publishable topics turn out to be. In the case of very recent
(Late Modern) material, you might be enouraged to find how relatively little
has been written, and what vast areas remain to be studied.

As
they always say: there is indeed an app for that. It’s called Browzine. If you
don’t know Browzine as a resource for studying
academic journals, do please get to know it. It is easily accessible through
the Baylor library system:

Each
participant will make a presentation based on the paper to the whole group
towards the end of term, in either the meeting on April 16 or 23. Unless you
have VERY strong reasons for preferring one date rather than the other, I will
be assigning you to a particular time slot on one of those days.

Each
of the presentations will take 30 minutes, which corresponds nicely to the kind
of time allocation you can expect presenting in a major academic conference. I
expect you to speak for about 20-25 minutes, leaving a few minutes for
questions. That time-length will be strictly enforced. Please let me know in
advance if you will need any audio-visual resources.

We
can talk in detail about how exactly such a presentation should proceed, but a
couple of basic guidelines include:

*Begin by saying what the presentation is
about, and give the title.

*Tell us up front why you chose the
subject, what you expected to find from the research, and (maybe here, maybe
later) tell us how that corresponded to your actual findings. Tell us how and
why that topic fits in with the announced goals of the course.

*Be sure to address the “so what”
question, about why other people should care about this area.

*That gets to the critical matter of
audience. Who exactly are you speaking to, and what background knowledge of
this area can you assume? How much do you need to tell people? The other
members of the seminar are all educated people with a strong interest in
history, and specifically the history of religion. But even they may not know
the minutiae required to follow or understand your topic. As always, think
exactly who you are speaking (or writing) to.

I’m
certainly not operating a checklist as to whether you hit most or all of these
issues, leave alone cover them in any particular order, but experience has
shown that this is a good general model.

Policies

Deadlines matter, and I intend to enforce
them. If you miss a deadline without getting an extension in advance, you get a
grade of F on that particular paper or project. Do not get in touch with me
after the fact to explain why you missed a deadline, unless you produce a
proper medical note or other documentation. Valid reasons include medical problems
and the like.

“Attendance and participation" carry
a substantial 20 percent of the grade. I expect you to do the readings for
every class, and I reserve the right to call on people individually through the
term to comment or respond on particular texts, or issues arising from them. If
you do the readings, and take a full and regular part in class discussions,
then that will have a major positive impact on your grade. On the other hand,
consistently not participating, not doing the readings - or repeatedly being
absent from discussions - is equivalent to failing to do the term paper.

I don’t necessarily expect a 100 percent
attendance rate, but repeated absences or consistent non-participation will
have serious consequences. It does not just mean that you will receive a
slightly lower grade: just like refusing to do a paper or an exam, it means
that you would simply have not completed the class, and would therefore receive
a grade of F for the entire course. It's important to spell out that expectation
from the outset. If you are not prepared to do the readings and participate
fully, then please drop the class now.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism or anyformofcheatinginvolves
abreach of student-teacher trust.This meansthatanywork submitted underyourname is expectedto beyourown, neither composedbyanyoneelseas awholeor in part,nor
handed over to anotherpersonforcompleteor partialrevision.Besureto document
all ideas that arenotyourown.Instances
of plagiarism oranyother
act ofacademic dishonestywill be
reported to theHonor Counciland
mayresult in failureof thecourse. Not understandingplagiarism
is not anexcuse. As a Baylor
student,Iexpectyou
to beintimatelyfamiliarwith theHonorCode at:http://www.baylor.edu/honorcode/

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– Title IX Coordinator, Kristan Tucker

Baylor University does not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender in
any of its education or employment programs and activities, and it does not
tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex or gender. Ifyou or someoneyou know would like helprelated to an experience involving sexual or gender-based harassment,
sexual assault, sexual exploitation, stalking, intimate partner violence, or
retaliation for reporting one of these type of prohibited conduct, please
contact the Title IX Office at (254)710-8454 or report online at www.baylor.edu/titleix.

TheTitleIXoffice
understands the sensitivenature of these situationsandcanprovideinformation about available on- andoff-campusresources, such as counselingandpsychologicalservices,
medical treatment,academic support, universityhousing,and otherforms
of assistance that may be available. Staff
members at the office can also explainyourrights and procedural options if you
contact the Title IX Office. Youwill
not be required to shareyourexperience. Ifyou orsomeone you know feelsunsafe ormay
beinimminentdanger, please call the Baylor PoliceDepartment(254-710-2222) or WacoPolice Department(9-1-1)immediately. For
more information on the Title IX Office, the Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment
and Interpersonal Violence policy, reporting, and resources available, please
visit the website provided above.

Military Student
Advisory

Veterans and active duty military personnel are welcomed and encouraged
to communicate, in advance if possible, any special circumstances (e.g.,
upcoming deployment, drill requirements, disability accommodations). You are
also encouraged to visit the VETS Program Office with any questions at (254)
710-7264.